WhatsApp for Windows Phone 8 now available

Microsoft engineered Windows Phone to be social and communicative from the get go, with Windows Phone 8 they have pushed that concept even further. Aside from Rooms, Emails, Text Messages and Social networks there are other ways to chat with your friends. One of those ways it to use the free IM app called WhatsApp, a messaging platform that has gained fairly widespread adoption.

We reported a few days ago on an imminent update and good news is that they have just pushed out version 2.8.10 onto the Windows Phone Store. This will update existing Windows Phone 7.x devices whilst also bringing Windows Phone 8 compatibility to the table.

In case you haven’t heard of WhatsApp here is what they say about their app:

“WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Noki9a and yes, those phones can all message each other! Because WhatsApp Messenger uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, there is no cost to message and stay in touch with your friends.

In addition to basic messaging WhatsApp users can create groups, send each other unlimited images, video and audio media messages.”

So WhatsNew in WhatsApp? Aside from the fact it now works on Windows Phone 8 devices we’re not seeing any big changes. Upon installing onto a a device here everything looks very much as we’d expect, setup on a Windows Phone 8 handset was normal and no new options are present. In fact the version on Windows Phone 7 is actually 2.8.8 so this is a very minor update.

We’re glad to see the app has been updated to support Windows Phone 8, we only wish that notifications and the integration of these types of apps could be improved. It would be great to see the messaging hub allow for deeper integration of other messaging platforms and better background persistence. For now the app will endeavour to push notifications for messages via the normal route which is fairly reliable.

Good to have it. But the only thing that's improved is the speed of app launch and possibly more fluid in app experience. It needs lock screen notifications. The Devs over at whatsapp aren't exactly doing the best of jobs. Maybe need more support?? Even the look of the app isn't very WP8. Come on whatsapp!!

YesYesYes! Finally! I hated that fake music stream thing. Now I can delete Stop the Music!
Edit: Fake music stream isn't gone. It didn't come up the first ffew times I started it, but now it is again. If you leave the app with the start button it won't come up, but if you close it using the back button the music buttons are appearing again. So anoying!

It is not a bug, they use it so the app remain active if you close it. But it is weird because if I stop the music player after I opened whatsapp, I do get messages though. So it is very unnecessary...

I know it's by design. I'm classing it as a bug because it's irritating, unnecesary and unexpected functionality that would be easy to fix. I really don't know how it passed certification with such a blatant misuse of the API.

That's useless if you use phone data, which is always active.
But if you activate the WiFi and turn the screen off, that faked music stream keeps ot active, so that it will be possible to receive notifications.

Yes I know, that's what i'm saying. But why does other apps also get notifications without that API? Becasue they are better programmers. And Now on the 8X you have the keep wifi alive function. So I really hope that in a further update (if every wp8 phone has the keep wifi alive funtion) they don't use it anymore. I hate it!

If you don't have data plan why bother using WhatsApp which relies on data connection instead of SMS. In fact, it defeats the purpose of even having a smartphone, when so many features on WP8 are designed for data on the go.

Why should we normal people, who naturally have a data plan for their smartphone (because what's the point without one?) pay with our battery life and having to have to "stop the music" every frikkin time after we use that App because of some of you weridos who buy a smartphone to use as a dumbphone out and about and as a tablet when stationary? Just buy a tablet for 200 bucks to surf the web, it's cheaper than a phone anyway and you get a bigger screen. What's the point of WhatsApp when you don't use data? Most of us have a flatrate for data, with a limit at which it becomes slower. But Whatsapp doesn't really use a lot of data, especially not for push. Now we all have to suffer because some cheapos who don't want to afford 5 moneys a month for data where whining as if the fcking world was going up in flames. I for one like that wifi turns off when the screen is off, I also turn it off when I leave the house (because why should it drain battery when I don't even use it?), and now my phone irritates me and forces me to do a repetetive 3 second task every fcking time I leave the WhatsApp app.

im sure all media sent on whatsapp is saved in whatsapp. Just go on the user info and swipe left or right once and you will see all saved media that person send you. Thats the only way I know of so far

Well, i'm really happy that the service is back and even though my lumia 820 is pretty fast anyway, you also seem to feel the performance improvements. However, i'd totally like to see a change log or something, because the changes are not that obvious. Anyways, the replacement of the emoticon button is absolutely grab!!! Furthermore, i looked forward to see some wp8 integration like lock screen support. I hate the fact that i feel like this will take another 200 years. If the rumors are true and nokia is tryring to improve whatsapp, this would be the only way for us to be surprised in the upcoming weeks... but i really doubt it. Maybe we should be happy about the little things in life. Its back but not better than ever.

It all depends on if your friends uses it. None of my friends are on MSN Messenger anymore, and people are not always signed in to Facebook chat. Think of WhatsApp as SMS/MMS, except its free and uses data connection instead. The other biggest advantage is Group chat - really useful when trying to organizing something, and can never be done via SMS/MMS.

Honestly.. Before they removed it from the store, it was working fine on WP8. They removed it for a week or 2, removed in-app Emoji, improved nothing, updated version number and released it? What were they doing the past few days..

I was using the old version on my 920 just fine and it worked exactly like this one. To me nothing changed. I was hoping for at least lock screen implementation.
Seriously...What do those developers over there do all day?

'' It would be great to see the messaging hub allow for deeper integration of other messaging platforms and better background persistence. ''

Most definatly. Since Facebook is preparing to become a direct competitor to Whatsapp, Microsoft could improve the Facebook chat integration. Right now it lacks the option to send messages to offline friends. Add that and I don't need a thirdparty client like Whatsapp.

Quite obvious actualy. If the service brakes, for whatever reason, it's going to look like it's a bug in the OS, and thats not what Microsoft wants you to think. Definitely an different story when it would be an open service with an API. And btw, Whatsapp isnt the most reliable thing out there.
Anyway. Is it 5 times faster! Like they said it would be. We're all waiting for Whatsapp version 3.0 which would be written up all from scratch. That's what I want to know!

Totally agree with you. People hub is already open for third party apps to be integrated in (I.e. Skype or RCSe). Its quite obvious the next step is to open up Messaging to let third party apps (like WhatsApp, LINE, WeChat...etc) to be integrated.

I'm guessing this is just the old ver. They had to put it back because of all the whiners. I'm pretty sure they're working on improvements for WP8 because the only thing that changed is the speed (phone is faster) and nothing else. If they call this improvement, they didn't have to take it down in the first place.

I notice a startup time improvement on my HTC HD7. Overall UI is smoother too.
But it sucks the WhatsApp team still don''t show the same love to WP than to Android and iOS.
I hope Nokia will indeed help WhatsApp to improve the app, because it's a must have app for WP.

Yes, it was always there. It's the same for Android, whereas iPhone users have to pay 0.99$ to get the app, and then it's free for life. I personally prefer Viber, as it's 100% free, runs a bit faster and allows you to make free calls.

You can now share images from your albums and such straight to Whatsapp without having to open the app. Same way Android users have been able to do it. Can't share music, but then again I don't have any music on my phone that is mine; I use the Xbox music pass, so my songs are streamed.

Can anyone help me out plz...my whatsapp won't authenticate...i did everything except reset my phone and it still won't get past inputting my phone number...is anyone having the same issue...am using a L920

I was really hoping for start screen notification for a version for Windows 8, but they have not yet done this. It would be very good if we could choose it as one of the 5 options for showing on the start screen.

I've installed Whatsapp in the HTC Windows Phone 8, but the verification code is sent via a SMS Text, which i have blocked from my account. The previous version had an option of sending it to an email. I don;t see that anymore... How do I verify if i got NO sms text!